Safety system of water supply for bidets and the like



l. SALVONI 2,104,210

SAFETY SYSTEM OF WATER SUPPLY FOR BIDETS AND THE LIKE Jan. 4, 1938.

, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 29

INVENTOR.

flppolil'o Saul-oral;

ATTORNEY.

Jah. 4-, 1938. r SALVQN] 2,104,210

SAFETY SYSTEM OF WATER SUPPLY FCR BIDETS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 29,1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Q 67 18 a5 19 6967 5 5 ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 4, 1938 UNITED STATES SAFETY SYSTEM OF WATER SUPPLY FORBIDETS AND THE LIKE Ippolito Salvoni, New York, N. Y. 7 ApplicationAugust 29, 1936, Serial No. 98,619

7 Claims.

This invention relates to sanitary appliances and more particularlyrefers to improvements in bidets adapted to be mounted on top of a watercloset.

In two patents granted to me for Combined toilet and bidet, No.2,036,984, and Bidet at tachment for water closets, No. 2,036,985, andan application for patent entitled Combined water closet and bidet,Serial No. 23,073, filed May 23, 1935, copending herewith, I havedescribed and claimed bidets adapted to be used in combination with anordinary water closet, and special combinations of water closet andbidet, designed so as to afiord ample room for the performance of theservice for which the bidet is intended.

In designing these types of bidets, I have found it desirable, for thesake of appearance as well as convenience, to embody in their structure,a simple and reliable system of water supply, and also improved meansfor discharging the water from the bidet itself.

A special arrangement of water supply means was described by me but notclaimed in my copending application, Serial No. 23,073, above mentioned,and another improved arrangement has been described and claimed inanother application filed by me on January 8, 1936, for Water supplyarrangement for bidetsf, Serial No. 158,073.

In the arrangements shown and described in my patents and copendingapplications above mentioned, means are provided-for admitting water tothe bidet from both a cold and a hot water supply system, the two watersbeing led to a common mixing chamber and being controlled by individualcontrol valves making it possible to regulate the temperature of thewater reaching the bidet.

In the said arrangements, means are also provided for discharging waterat the desired temperature into the bidet either from a spout located ator near the edge of the bidet or from a spray nozzle issuing through thebottom of the bidet, and adapted to send an upwardly directed sprayagainst the body of the person using the bidet. 1 7

However, the above mentioned arrangements were found somewhat Wantingfrom a sanitary standpoint because they fail to provide means forguarding against possible contamination of the water supply by therefuse water of the bidet,,

and means ,for guarding against contamination of the cold by the hotWater supply when the ,hot water is drawn from an unsafe source,

In a fixture such as exemplified by a bidet, it is necessary to provideagainst the possibility of some of the unclean water contained in thebidet reaching the supply system through back siphonage induced by avacuum or a reduction in 5 pressure occurring in the supply system, andit is also-necessary to prevent said unclean water from reaching thesupply system through seepage by gravity. Furthermore, the same healthconsiderations make it necessary to carefully l0 protect the city watersupply against :the possibility of the water flowing through the hotwater system intermingling with the safe water supply, in such caseswhere the hot water is not derived from the same source but is derivedfrom a cistern or from some other source which may be unsafe.

Very frequently water from a cistern is used for supplying hot water ina building, especially because such water is frequently found to besofter than the city water and, therefore, better suited for use in theboilers. Such water is used mainly for washing dishes and utensils andbathing but is unfit for drinking and cooking; therefore; when a directconnection exists be 5 tween the cold and hot water systems, the coldwater might become contaminated unless suitable provisions be made forpreventing the hot water from intermingling therewith.

In another application for patent entitled Bidets with safety watersupply arrangements, filed June 26, 1936, Serial No. 87,376, I havedescribed and claimed a bidet or similar appliance equipped withmeans'for preventing pollution of the water supply dueeither to backsiphonage or 5 to direct cross connection between two sources of watersupply.

I have found that, in order to further insure absolutely sanitaryconditions, it was advisable to introduce additional improvements in.the 40 bidet structure shown and described in the lastv mentionedapplication, especially in order to prevent contamination of the watersupply by such water as might be contained in the water closet bowl andalso in order to absolutely prevent the possibility of contamination bygravity flow; r Y The primary object of this invention, accordingly isto provide, in a bidet, a novel and improved arrangement of controlvalves affording 51 v positive protection against the possibility ofcontamination of the water" supply by gravity flow' from the bidetitself.

Another object is to provide, in a bidet adapted to be pivotally mountedon top of a water closet 55 bowl and adapted to be raised from itsoperative position to an inoperative position where the bidet remainsupwardly directed, means insuring full drainage into the closet bowl ofsuch part of the contents of the bidet as might flow back into to itsinoperative position.

A further object is to provide, in combination with a closet bowl, abidet adapted to be pivotally mounted onto the top thereof, said bidetbeing designed so that when it is lowered to its operative position ontop of either the closet bowl or the seat with which the closet bowl isusually equipped, its bottom will remain above the plane of the edge ofthe closet bowl, so as to absolutely prevent the possibility of waterfrom the closet bowl reaching the inside of the bidet whenever for anyreason the closet bowl should happen to be flooded or overflowing.

A still further object is to provide, in a bidet comprising a basin anda supply outlet therefor, adapted to be connected to a source of watersupply, a vent adapted tofunction as a vacuum breaker, said vent alsoserving the purpose of discharging water supplied to the bidet in excessof the capacity of its supply outlet and preventing the formation of anexcessive back pressure in the supply line.

An additional object is to provide, in a bidet or similar applianceequipped with a supply outlet adapted for the attachment of a hosecarrying a nozzle for internal use, a supplementary passage connected tothe supply line in parallel with said supply outlet, said passage beingadapted to relieve the pressure of the water delivered to the supplyoutlet when any excess water is supplied thereto, thereby preventing thepossibility of the water issuing from the nozzle at a pressure abovethat considered safe for internal baths.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will more fullyappear as the description proceeds and will be set forth and claimed inthe appended claims.

My invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view in elevation of a water closet equipped with abidet structure embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section in an enlargedscale showing the way of mounting the bidet in position and supplyingwater thereto;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section showing the bidet in itsraised position;

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section through line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view, partly sectioned, of the bidetmounting. and water supply arrangement, through line 6-5 of Fig. i;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary sectional view in an enlarged scale throughline I-'! of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary horizontal section in an enlarged scaleillustrating a preferred way of providing the water passage with agravity discharge opening preventing back flow from the bidet into thewater supply system;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section illustrating thespray nozzle and discharge outlet;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view in elevation in an enlarged scale, partlysectioned, through line !Il-Iil of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 1 1 is a fragmentary vertical section in an enlarged scale throughline II II of Fig. 6.

Referring to said drawings, IB designates 21.

water closet bowl made integral with the usual rearwardly extendingportion II, on which is hingedly supported seat I2. The bidet I3consists of a basin-like structurewhich is also pivotally mounted at therear and can be moved the water supply outlet when the bidet is raisedfrom the position on top of toilet seat I2, shown in Figs. 1 and 3, tothe raised position shown in Fig. 4. The bidet is preferably providedwith a cover I 4, also pivotally mounted and movable independently ofthe bidet.

The coaxial pivotal mounting of the seat, bidet, and cover is clearlyillustrated in Figs. 2 to 6, where it is seen that the bidet I3 iscarried by a bracket 15, rearwardly extending therefrom, said brackethaving two depending ears I8, I'i, one at each side thereof, fixed ontoa pivotal shaft I8.

Said shaft is rotatable within a support I9, upwardly extending from therear extension II, the base plate 23 of said support being shownprovided with a slot 2I, through which can be inserted the head 22 ofthe bolts securing said support onto the bowl.

At each end, shaft 58 is formed with a threaded extension 23, 24, onwhich is screwed a nut such 25, 26, said nuts in their turn formingpivotal supports for arms 25', 26, carrying the seat I2; and for arms21, 28, carrying the cover I4.

The lower portion I9 of the support I9, is shown provided with a passage29, extending from one side of the support to the other, one

end of said passage being closed by a plug 30 and the other end beingprovided with a fitting 3|, carrying another fitting 3I, which can inits turn be connected to sources of cold and hot water sup-ply by meansof valves 32, 33.

Plug 39 and fitting 3i are interchangeable, so that the water connectioncan be made at either side of the support I9, in order to facilitate theinstallation of the device where the water closet is close to the wall,which wall in practice can be either at the right of left of the watercloset bowl.

Passage 29 communicates with the space hous ing pivotal shaft I8 bymeans of a branch passage 34. Pivotal shaft I 8 is bored from one of itsends to a point somewhat beyond branch passage 34, so as to provide anaxial passage 35, which can be reached by the water coming throughpassages 29, 34. To this end, pivotal shaft I8 is also provided with aradial opening 35, extending from passage 35 to the periphery of saidshaft, said opening being adapted to register with passage 34, when thebidet is in its lowered position, as shown in Fig. 3.

Water thus admitted to passage 35 will reach the bidet by way of bracketI5, one of the ears 55 of said bracket being provided with a passage 3?,registering with a radial passage 33, extending from passage 35, to theperiphery of shaft I8.

Said passage 31 extends at 39 in a transversal direction to a centralblock 4!] of bracket I5, said block forming the body of a valvecomprising a rotatable member 4!, actuated by a handle 42; saidrotatable member being inserted in a housing 43, provided in block 40,and being retained in position by a threaded gland M. The tightness ofthe valve structure is assured by means of a packing 45, compressed bysaid gland.

The lower end of member 4! is provided with an axial opening 45, whichis in its turn provided with a radial inlet 4'! registering withextension 39 of passage 31. Said opening is is furthermore provided withtwo angularly and longitudinally displaced radial outlets 48, 49,adapted to register with an inlet 50, discharging into the bidet fromthe upper portion thereof and a tubular inlet 5| discharging into thebidet from the bottom thereof, respectively.

In one of its angular positions, shown in Fig. 3, rotatable member 4|connects inlet 50 to the water supplycircuit, so that if valves 32, '33are opened, water will be discharged into the bidet through inlet 50 soas to fill the bidet. In its other angular position, rotatable member 4|con nects the water supply system with tubular passage 5|, at the sametime closing inlet 50.

The purpose of this arrangement is to either discharge water downwardlyinto the bidet in order to fill it, or else to discharge water from thebottom of the bidet in'the form of an upwardly directed spray. Thetubular passage 5| leads to a block 52, formed with a threaded portion53, said portion being inserted through the bottom of the bidet andupwardly extending therefrom; said threaded portion being provided witha central passage 54, communicating with tubular passage 5|, saidpassage 54 being open at the upper end.

Block 52 is retained in position by means oi a nozzle 55 screwed overpart 53, said nozzle being provided with a cluster of outlet openings56.

The bottom of the bidet is also provided with a set of perforations 51,surrounding nozzle 55, and a gland shaped sleeve 58 carrying a rubberwasher '59 is inserted over said nozzle.

Sleeve 58 is provided with a flaring clearance space under the head ofnozzle 55, and'the nozzle is provided with an annular recess 6!, withinwhich is housed an expansible ring 62.

In the normal'position shown in the drawings (see Fig. 9), thegland-shaped sleeve is pushed downward to where washer 59 rests againstthe bottom of the bidet, preventing liquid contained within the bidetfrom being discharged through perforations 51; the gland-shaped sleevebeing frictionally retained in this position by the expansible ring '62.Whenever it should become necessary to drain liquid from the'bidet thegland-shaped sleeve is raised to the position where the bottom surfaceof its clearance space 60 abuts against the rabbeted surface 63 underthe head of the nozzle. In this position, expansible ring 62 will have achance to expand against the flaring surface of clearance space 60 andwill hold the sleeve in its raised position.

The sleeve is preferably made gland shaped so that it will provide aconvenient means for attaching a rubber hose toit when it should bedesired to use the water spray for internal cleansing.

' In order to prevent splashings, perforations 51 are covered by shell64,, at the lower side of the bidet, said shell being provided with adeflecting plate 65 and a central discharge opening 66. By virtue ofthis arrangement the water issuing from perforations 51 is deflectedandcombined into a single stream which will issue through discharge opening66. i

The deflecting plate 65 may be welded to the shell and the completeshell structure may be held in position by a screw 61 fastened to thehead of nozzle 55, the diameter of said screw being, of course, smallerthan that of passage 54.

From the sanitary standpoint it is important that all possibleprovisions be made to insure against the possibility of contamination ofthe water supply by unclean water contained in the bidet. As a firststep I have reduced the depth of the basin portion of the bidet as.against that shown in my copendi-ng application entitled Bidets withsafety water supply arrangementsZ-Serial No. 87,376,1iled June v26,1936, so that the discharge outlet 66 at the bottom of the basin remainswell above the top of the water closet bowl, as Fig. 13 clearly shows.

This prevents the possibility of polluted water from the bowl reachingthe inside of the basin when the bowl should happen to be flooded oroverflowing.

As a-second step I have provided an additional vent 68 in bracket l5,said vent extending from extension 39 of passage 31. Vent 68 thusconnects passage 31-139 with the atmosphere and constitutes a vacuumbreaker preventing liquid from being drawn from the basin by suction inthe supply line whenever a vacuum in the supply line should occur.

Referring more especially to Figs. 6, 8, it will be seen that vent 68 isinterposed between housing 43 of rotatable member 4| and passage 31, sothat when the bidet is raised, any-part of the contents thereof thatshould 'perchance enter inlet-50 can be drained through vent 68 beforeit has a chance to reach axial passage 35.

However, even if part of such unclean water should perchance passbeyondvent .68 and reach axial passage 35, it is impossible for it to reachand contaminate the water supply system, as will be presently explained.Referring to Figs. 3, 4, it is seen that the housing of pivotal shaft 18is provided with a vent 69 angularly spaced from the outlet of passage34 so that said vent will connect passage 34 with the atmosphere througha peripheral cut 10 provided in pivotal shaft i8, when the bidet israised to its inoperative position shown in Fig. 4. During the tiltingmovement of the bidet and its carrying shaft [-8 from its operative 'toits inoperative position, radial passage 36 will first move out ofregister with passage 34, then it will pass across vent 69, and then itwill pass beyond it, to the position shown in Fig. 4.

It is thus obvious that before any water that should perchance reachpassage 39 through inlet 50 during the raising of the bidet may have achance to pass beyond vent 68 and reach axial passage 35, communicationbetween said passage 35 and passage 34 will already have been closed,and no part of such water can possibly reach the supplysystem.

By virtue of this construction .a communication with the atmosphere willbe established for passage 34 also when the bidet is in its raisedposition. This practically means the elimination of the direct crossconnection between the two sources of water supply at the mixingchamber,

which would follow as a result of the closing of passage 34. Therefore,if one or both control valves should be left open while the bidet is inits raised positon, or should be leaking, the water flowing beyond thevalve or valves would be discharged through vent 69 and would ultimatelyreach the closet bowl, and no contamination of the safe by an unsafewater supply can occur.

It will be observed that when the bidet is lowered to operative positionwater supplied to axial passage 35 can be simultaneously dischargedthrough passages 38, 31, leading. to the bidet and vent 68, ultimatelydischarging into the bowl. This represents an additional advantage inthat said vent 68 represents a relief means capable of taking care ofthe overflow and preventing water from being delivered from the spraynozzle at the bottom of the bidet at an excessive pressure.

Preferably, in proximity of said vent 68, the water is caused to passthrough a restricted opening 1|, provided by a bushing 12 insertedwithin passage 39. By virtue of this construction the velocity of thewater stream will be increased at such point and said stream will tendto continue in the same direction without being deflected through vent68 unless there is sufficient back pressure forcing it in part to do so.

In view of the fact that, as stated, the sleeve 58 can be used as ameans for attaching a hose carrying at the other end a nozzle forinternal use, it is extremely important that the water be deliveredthrough such nozzle at a relatively low pressure, because higherpressures are dangerous and their use could have harmful consequences.

In order to prevent leakages, the housing of shaft I9 is provided withpackings such as 13, held in position by threaded bushings such as M,and gaskets 15 are inserted under the head of nuts 25, 26.

The bidet should be prevented from falling down on the seat with toogreat a force, and should preferably be retained in its inoperativeposition. To this end one or two torsional springs, such as T6, areinserted within support I9 around shaft l8, said spring or springs beingattached at one end to the support l9 and at the other end to arm I6 orIT, or both, of bracket l5.

Said spring or springs are designed so as to normally retain the bidetand its cover in the raised position shown in Fig. 4 and to offer acertain resistance to the lowering of the bidet, said resistance,however, being just about counter-balanced by the gradually increasingleverage of the bidet when the bidet is lowered in position. In thismanner a smooth and easy action without any damaging effects on thewater closet seat, and free from noise, is assured.

In my copending application entitled Bidets with safety water supplyarrangements, Serial No. 87,376, I have described and claimed the use ofspecial safety devices for preventing back siphonage in such cases Wherecontaminated water from the fixture might reach the water supply systemwhen a vacuum or reduction in pressure should occur. Such devicesinclude a vacuum breaker having its air ports at a point above the levelof the top of the bidet. However, it is also extremely important toguard against the possibility of polluted Water reaching the sup-- plylines by gravity discharge and in order to insure this condition I haveintroduced another improvement in the structure described and claimed inmy said pending application by raising the control valves to a positionwhere the seat of each control valve also remains above the level of thetop of the bidet. This positively prevents the possibility of waterreaching the supply line by gravity discharge if the basin of the bidetshould, for any reason, he filled to a point where inlet 59 would beflooded, or where a back flow should become possible through nozzle 55and passage 5|.

In order to insure absolute safety and prevent the possibility of thedevice being improperly installed through carelessness or inexperienceof the plumber, I have incorporated the necessary safety devices in thefittings 3 |--3|', so that said devices form an integral part of thebidet structure itself.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 10, 11, it will beseen that thecontrol valves 32, 33, to the inlet end of which 32, 33, are connectedcold and hot water pipes 17, 18, respectively, are each provided with anoutlet passage such as 18 leading to a common mixing chamber 19. A studhaving an axial passage 8| connected to annular chamber I9 by means ofradial passages 82 serves to fasten fitting 3| to fitting 3|.

In a similar manner, fitting 3| is fastened to the support |9 by meansof a stud 83 provided with an axial passage 84 leading to passage 29 inthe support, said passage 84 being connected to an annular chamber 85 inthe fitting by means of radial passages 86.

Passage 8| of stud 89 communicates by means of radial ports 82' with adownwardly directed passage 8'! leading to a Well 88 provided in fitting3| and from there to the inside of a tubular riser 89 verticallyextending therefrom. At the top, said riser is provided withperforations 90 through which Water coming from passage 8| can pass andreach an annular chamber 9| surrounding riser 89, said annular chamberbeing formed by another vertically extending tubular member 92concentric with riser 89.

The upper end of tubular member 92 is closed by a cap 93 having a numberof laterally extending air inlets 94 leading to an air chamber 95 havingan outlet 95 opening into chamber 9|.

Said outlet 96 is normally open and is controlled by a valve 91 carriedby a stem 98 extending through the top of and within tubular chamber 99formed by riser 89. The portion of said stem within said chamber 99 isprovided with a series of disks I99 of buoyant material, such as cork,acting as a float, so that when water is admitted to chamber 99 andrises within said chamber to flow through openings 98 at the top, saidfloat will cause valve 91 to rise to a position where it will closeoutlet 96, as shown in Fig. 11. When the water ceases to flow, theweight of valve 91 and parts attached thereto will cause said valve todrop so that the air passages 94, 95, 96 will remain open.

From annular chamber 9| water can reach chamber 85 in fitting 3| bymeans of a passage |9|. The structure including elements 88 to |9| isknown as a vacuum breaker and serves to prevent back siphonage from thebidet, its function, being the establishment of an air break between thebidet and the supply line so that in case a vacuum should at any time beformed in the supply line, the air sucked through passages 94-9598 wouldprevent siphonage of the contents of the bidet, if either dischargeinlet 59 or 5| should happen to be submerged.

It will be observed that the seat Hi2 of the control valves is at thelevel indicated by line a-a in Fig. 10, whereas the top of the bidet isat a lower level indicated by line b b, so that at no time can gravityback flow reach the control valves.

If one of the waters supplied to the bidet should be obtained from adoubtful or unsafe source, the outlet of the valve controlling the safewater supply could, if desired, be equipped with additional safetydevices, such as described in my copending application, Serial No.87,376, above referred to, comprising elements numbered from 95 to I98in the drawings forming part of said application; although vents 68, 69have in practice been found sumcient to satisfactorily prevent thepollution of one water by the other, that might occur as a result of thedirect cross connection.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the water supply is effectivelyinsured against contamination by gravity discharge or by back siphonageby intermingling of one Water with another, such as might occur as aresult of a direct cross connection.

The constructional details of my invention may vary from those shownwithout departing from the inventive idea. The drawings should,therefore, be understood as being intended for illustrative purposesonly and not in a limiting sense.

I, accordingly, reserve the right to carry my invention into practice inall those ways and manners which may enter, fairly, into the scope ofthe appended claims.

I claim:

1. A bidet of the character described, adapted to be pivotally mountedon top of a water closet bowl provided with a seat, and to rest uponsaid seat, said bidet having a bottom outlet for discharging itscontents through the opening in said seat, directly into the bowl, saidoutlet remaining above the level of the rim of said bowl, when the bidetis moved to its operative position upon said seat.

2. A device of the character described comprising a bidet adapted to bepivotally mounted on top of a water closet bowl, a support for saidbidet means for directing water to said bidet mounted on said support,and a control valve having its outlet end directly connected to saiddirecting means and its inlet end connectible to a source of watersupply, the seat of said valve being at a level higher than that of therim of said bidet.

3. A device of the character described comprising a bidet adapted to bepivotally mounted on top of a water closet bowl, a support for saidbidet means for directing water to said bidet mounted on said support,and a control valve having its outlet end directly connected to saiddirecting means and its inlet end connectible to a source of watersupply, the seat of said valve being at a level higher than that of therim of said bidet, and a vacuum breaker interposed between said valveand said directing -means, said vacuum breaker also having its air portsat a level higher than that of the rim of said bidet.

4. In a' device of the character described a bidet adapted to bepivotally mounted on top of a water closet bowl, said bidet having aninlet and a passage for leading water to said inlet, said passage beingprovided with an open vent ahead of said inlet and having a restrictionin proximity of said vent, causing at such point a decrease in thesection and an increase in the velocity of a stream of liquid forcedthrough said passage, said vent being adapted to act as a siphon breakerpreventing liquid being sucked from said bidet through said passage,and. being adapted to discharge the overflow and relieve the pressure ofthe liquid issuing from said incation between said water directing meansand the atmosphere when said bidet is in said inoperative position, soas to neutralize the effect of the direct cross connection formed by thetwo sources of water supply.

6. In a device of the character described, a bidet having an inlet, asupport therefor, a member carrying said bidet pivotally mounted on saidsupport, a passage in said member leading to said inlet, a feed passagein said support, a port in said member establishing a connection betweensaid passages when the bidet is in its operative position, said portbeing closed when said bidet together with its carrying member is tiltedto its'inoperative position, a vent through said support, and aperipheral groove in said pivotal member connecting said feed passagewith said vent when said bidet reaches said inoperative position.

'7. A bidet of the character described, adapted to be mounted on top ofa water closet bowl, said bidet having a bottom outlet for dischargingits contents directly into the bowl, said outlet remaining above thelevel of the rim of said bowl,

when the bidet is moved to its operative position above said bowl.

IPPOLITO SALVONI.

